Chris

Tom

Kwiziq community member

23 October 2018

23/10/18

Hi Alan,

Je puis is certainly not incorrect and as you pointed out 'si je puis dire' is a very common expression.

I had a look through my electronic copy of "Le petit prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and every one of the numerous instances of 'I can' is rendered as 'Je puis' and none as 'Je peux'. This novella, voted the most popular book of the 20th century, with a recommended reading age starting from 9 years, can hardly be deemed either supremely literary or archaic.

Or perhaps it could be that these aristos cannot forgo their lofty language even when writing for children. ☺

Cécile

Kwiziq language super star

24 October 2018

24/10/18

Je puis is very formal and can sound pompous, you might hear it said between friends for comical effects.

In some shops, someone might ask you "Puis-je vous aider?" which is the very formal way of adressing customers like, "Que puis-je faire pour vous?".